When is the best time to make your service provider website?
When starting your brand new business, it can feel really daunting considering when to tackle creating your website.
While there are some arguments that the sooner you create your website, the better, it might not be the best investment of your time, energy and money straight out of the gate.
Before we dive in, I want to reassure you that there are no absolutes in business. We take each step as we approach it, in the way that feels best for each of us as individuals.
That being said…
Here are some telltale signs that your business could be ready for a website:
1. You aren’t getting the inquiries you want through your networking or social media efforts
You may be spending hours per week creating content and chatting in the DMs but you aren’t seeing much in the way of real interest in your services when you send people to your booking link.
Your time is becoming a more guarded resource for your business and you’re eager to find ways to streamline your process, attract more perfect-fit clients and spend less time sifting through the not-so-perfect fit ones.
2. You’ve cobbled together a collection of free tools to handle your sales pages, email sign up, appointment scheduling and it’s creating a challenging customer experience for your potential clients
While those free tools can be amazing when you first get started, it can be confusing for potential clients to navigate from one platform to the next, with different styling and navigation at every click. Without a cohesive client experience, you risk losing some of your hard-earned trust with potential clients or simply making it harder than it needs to be for them to take that big step towards working with you.
This is where your website shines, creating a branded experience for your potential clients, a smooth customer experience and a streamlined process for you to bring in new clients for your business.
3. Your dream clients are looking for your services via a search engine like Google
Sometimes spending your time on social media or in local networking can pay off big time. But if you’re keen to work with people who aren’t likely to be found hanging out in these places you can spend a lot of time feeling frustrated while your dream clients are eagerly searching for your help on Google.
Without a Search Engine Optimized (SEO) website, it can be a challenge to show up on the first page of your client’s search results!
Want a shortcut to get started with SEO? Check out my super affordable SEO Quickstart course for a non-techy guide to optimize your website for search engines.
4. You are getting frequent pushback on your prices or objections about your offers
A big part of building the know, like, trust factor with your potential clients is having a clear and consistent brand and message throughout your business.
Showing up as the professional they expect you to be may very well entail having a polished website for them to browse to better understand your offers and learn more about what makes you uniquely qualified to help them. And one of the key markers of an established, trustworthy business is a polished website.
5. You’re working on growing your email list
Email marketing is all the rage for good reason. It’s one of the few ways to directly and consistently connect with your people. While having a landing page for your email opt-in can work, enticing those people who aren’t as likely to head straight to your sign-up form through a strategically designed website can give your email list a major boost!
6. You want a space of your own online
Building your business on borrowed land on social media might not sit well with you if you’re in this for the long haul, or aren’t keen to commit yourself to another platform that can change the rules on you without notice.
Your website is 100% yours and a place where you can continue to nurture and engage with your people, regardless of any algorithms.
It’s also the very best place for you to present your offers in precisely the way your dream clients will receive them best. Plus you can lead those dream clients from just getting to know you, and learning about your offers to booking a sales call with you all on the same platform. Not only is that a much better customer experience, but you’ll gather a ton of useful data about their behavior on your website that you can use down the line to further perfect your best marketing tool.
If one or more of these feel familiar, it might be the perfect time to look into creating your business website!
So now you’re ready for your website, what’s next? I highly recommend skipping the stress and start with a strategically designed template. Here’s a blog post with my favorite Squarespace templates specifically for online entrepreneurs created by designers I trust.
